As of 2019, I run once-monthly book groups for 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders, from October through May.\u00a0 Book group members are asked to read all of the book prior to the book group meeting (though I do give them the option to read only half the book if they find it difficult or really hate it – my thinking is that if a book group member reads at least half the book then they will still be able to participate at some level in the group discussion).<\/p>\n
For the 3rd grade book group, I choose all the titles that we read and discuss.\u00a0 For the 4th grade group, I take input from the book group members at our first meeting in October, and incorporate some of their suggestions in the year’s choices, but the majority of the book choices are mine.\u00a0 By 5th grade, the book group members are choosing a higher percentage of the books we read (once again, I take their input at the October meeting).\u00a0 And by 6th grade, approximately ninety percent of the book choices are made by the book group members.\u00a0 My goal is to have each group discuss a variety of genres, and for me to squeeze in some of my favorite books for them to read (both new and old favorites), but also to have the group members take on an increasing level of responsibility for the group.\u00a0 Ultimately, I see the book groups as a way for children to become life-long readers and lovers of literature, and for them to learn how to discuss books with their peers in a different way than they do at school.<\/p>\n
The December 2019 book groups are discussing these titles:<\/p>\n
The January 2020 book groups are discussing these titles:<\/p>\n
(Yes, the 5th and 6th grade groups are both discussing\u00a0The Mysterious Benedict Society\u00a0<\/em>at their January meetings!\u00a0 Each group independently voted to discuss this book in January, in part because it is a longer book and they anticipated having time to read it over their winter breaks.)<\/p>\n Below are lists are of books that I have used in past book groups.\u00a0 I will admit the the lists below have not been updated in quite a while, but there are some great titles on these lists that I do still use with the groups.<\/p>\n Important to note: \u00a0these are simply books that I chose, for one reason or another, to read and discuss with the book groups. \u00a0Some book choices were a success; others were a flop, and neither the kids nor the adults enjoyed them. \u00a0Please take this list as simply a list of books read, not as hard and fast recommendations of books for children of these ages. \u00a0For detailed information on books, you can do a search on this blog to see whether I posted details on the book discussion (this will not often be the case, but I sometimes do get around to posting in detail about individual titles).<\/p>\n The lists are not in alphabetical order; they are in the order in which we have read them.\u00a0 Books that have been used more than once over the years are marked with a star (*); I have found these starred books to be good books for discussion.\u00a0 New books will be added to the list as my book groups choose new titles.<\/p>\n These books are mostly newer titles, since the kids who attend the book groups enjoy discovering new authors and new books, but there are some classics mixed in.<\/p>\n You will note that these books tend to be at a high-ish reading level for the grade; this is because of the composition of our book groups.\u00a0 The children and teens who join the groups are already great readers, and appreciate a challenge.<\/p>\n It should also be noted that for a short time I ran a combined 4th and 5th grade book group, and thus some titles are shared in those two grades.<\/p>\n As a rule, I do not<\/em> use structured discussion guides for my book groups.\u00a0 This is for two reasons: 1)\u00a0I believe strongly that\u00a0a library book group needs to function in an entirely different way from a school reading group, and with that in mind I use a reader response philosophy in my groups, sometimes using questions posed by Aidan Chambers in Tell Me<\/em>, but more often using my own scribbled bunch of questions, or questions that arise as the group discusses the book.\u00a0 2) Having taught reading in an elementary school for almost four years, I am very comfortable with this rather free-form approach.\u00a0 Other people may not feel at ease running a book group without a proscribed list of questions; if you fall in that category, try doing a Google search on your chosen book title.\u00a0 Oftentimes someone, somewhere, will have posted a reading guide online.<\/p>\n 3rd Grade<\/strong><\/p>\n 4th Grade<\/strong><\/p>\n 5th Grade<\/strong><\/p>\n 6th Grade<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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